In response to U.S. Department of Transportation sanctions against Mexico’s aviation sector, Mexican airlines ceded some time slots at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) to U.S. carriers.

“Several weeks ago, there was a redistribution in slots in which Mexican airlines gave up their spots to U.S. airlines, taking competitiveness into account,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said in her Monday morning press conference, adding that the Mexican airlines cooperated fully.

Sheinbaum also sent a negotiating team to Washington to hold talks with the Transportation Department (DOT) in hopes of having the punitive measures lifted.

“We hope to make clear to U.S. officials that [greater Mexico City] has two principal airports and it is my government’s responsibility to make sure that they operate as an integrated system,” she said, claiming that DOT representatives appeared receptive to the notion.

The conflict over the allocation of flights and routes came to a head in October when DOT revoked approval for 13 routes operated by Mexican airlines to the U.S. from Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) and AICM. 

DOT’s actions were in response to the previous Mexican administration’s decision to reduce foreign slots at AICM — impacting U.S. carriers like United, Delta and American — and pushing U.S. cargo operators like FedEx and UPS to the new AIFA.

Then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced the slot cuts and cargo flight move in 2022, citing oversaturation at the centrally located AICM, which is presently undergoing renovations ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup.

The U.S. also canceled combined cargo and passenger services from AIFA and, in September, DOT ordered the termination of the Delta-Aeroméxico joint venture. Last week, a U.S. appeals court temporarily halted the order dissolving the Delta-Aeroméxico partnership.

Sheinbaum did not disclose the exact number of airport slots transferred to U.S. airlines, saying only that the measures are based on competitiveness criteria. She spoke of implementing a digital flight distribution system next year, insisting that U.S. and other international airlines were already on board.

The president also told reporters that she met personally with cargo carriers to address their concerns, which include a demand for new customs procedures as cargo companies must pay to ship imported goods by land from AIFA to AICM since the former does not have a customs office.

“They raised other issues that need addressing,” Sheinbaum said, “and we’re going to support them in this process … talks will continue with the understanding that we can reach an agreement.”

With reports from Reuters, Airline Geeks, El Universal and El Economista